Mail delivering and receiving device.



F. GONAWAY MAIL DELIVERING AND RECEIVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31, 1912. 1 0 5 221 Patented June 17, 1913.

BEST 1.

0 N M P A WITNESSES:

W QWW s M M m c P. GONAWAY.

MAIL DELIVERING AND RECEIVING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 31, 1912.

Patented June 17,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHE WITNESSES: INVENTOB Tronkun cohowgy j BY WQWZ /S "Tom/Er.

\EIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON D c FRANKLIN CONAWAY,

OF HARPER, KANSAS.

MAIL DELIVERING AND RECEIVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17,1913.

Application filed December 31, 1912. Serial No. 739,495.

To a tUhOIH- it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN CONAW'AY, citizen of the United States, residing at Harper, in the county of Harper and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Delivering and Receiving Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to mail receivers and deliverers and has for its object the production of an etlicient device for receiving mail from a moving train and delivering mail thereto.

Another object of this invention is the production of a delivering and receiving crane which is provided with a laterally swung arm which may be adjusted for use with different size cars and may be swung in an inoperative position when not in use.

Another object of this invention is the production of a mail bag catcher or delivering jaw which is adapted to catch a link carried by the mail sack and hold the same firmly within its aw portion.

\Vith these and other objects in view this invention consists of certain novel combinations, constructions, and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device illustrating the cranes which are placed by the railroad track and the cranes carried by the car which are used in combination with the first mentioned cranes. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device showing the car partly in section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the laterally swinging arms used in connection with the device. Fig. .t is a section taken on the line 4l, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5, of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the snap hook used in combination with a mail sack showing the link member partly in section.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals it will be seen that the device consists of standards 1 which are placed near the railroad. Each of the standards 1 carries a laterally swinging arm 2 by means of the pivot member 3 near its upper end. This laterally swinging arm 2 is provided with a plurality of apertures 4 whereby the length of the arm may be adjusted according to the size of the car which is to be used. In order to support this arm in an operative position there is provided a chain 5 which is fastened to the hook (& near the up er end of the standard 1. The laterally swinging arm 2 is provided with the squared eyes 7 which are adapted to receive one end of the chain for raising or lowering the arm.

The laterally swinging arm 2 is provided upon its inner end with a mail bag catch or delivering jaw which comprises a dia inond shape finger 8 and spring arms or jaws 9 positioned upon each side of the finger 8. The finger 8 is pivotally secured to the end of the swinging arm by means of a pivotmember 10, and the spring arms or jaws 9 are held upon the finger 8 by means of a rivet 11. The spring arms 9 are provided with the bowed portion 12 which extends inwardly as illustrated at 13 and the outer end of the arm extends outwardly in order to guide the link carried by the mail sack within the pocket portion 14, and in this manner hold the bag. It will. be seen that the bag is provided with a link 15 which is connected to the bag by means of the snap hook 16. hen the link 15 is caught by the finger 8 it will pass in over the enlarged portion 17 of the diamond shape finger and then down within the pocket portion and will be held therein by means of the spring arms and also by the weight of the bag.

The device as used upon the car comprises a crane which is provided with the base portion 18 which is pivotally secured to the floor of the car by means of the pivot member 19. Near the outer end of the base member 18 there is provided an upright 20 which carries at its upper end the laterally extending arm 21 which is adapted to extend be yond the side of the car.

The mail bag catch or delivering jaws are formed similarly to the mail bag catcher or delivering jaws used in combination with the laterally swinging arm 2. It will be seen that by use of the pivot cranes carried by the car the device may be used upon either side of the car and in either direction as the mail bag catcher or delivering jaws may be swung in either direction upon the pivot member 10.

It will, of course, be obvious that in use should the car happen to swing when receiving or delivering the mail, if it should swing so far as to allow the finger 8 to miss the ring 15 one of the arms 9 will catch the ring and hold the same within the pocket portion 14:.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. In a mail bag receiving and delivering device of the class described comprising a standard, a, laterally swinging adjustable arm carried by said standard, adjustable mail bag receiving or delivering jaws carried upon the inner end of said laterally swinging arm, a car, a pivotally mounted crane carried. within said car and extending beyond the sides thereof, and mail bag delivering or receiving jaws carried by said crane and adapted to ce-act. with the mail bag delivering 0. receiving jaws carried by said laterally swinging arm whereby mail sacks may be transferred to and from rapidly moving trains.

in a mail receiving and delivering device ot the class described, standards, each o't' said standards provided with a laterally swinging adjustable arm, each of said arms provided with a plurality of apertures, each of said standards provided. with a pivot. member, the arm carried by each standard adapted to he moved whereby said pivot member may rest within any one of said apertures for adjusting the length of said laterally swinging arm, said arm provided with squared receivin eyes, means carried by one of said eyes tor adjustably holding said arm at any desired height, mail, bag receiving or delivering ja carried by the inner end. of said laterally swinging arm, iranes adapted to be carried by the car and pivotally mounted thereon, said cranes extending beyond the side or the car and provided with mail bag receiving or delivering jaws whereby mail may be transferred to and from rapidly moving trains.

3. In a mail bag receiving and delivering device. the combination with a plurality of standards, each 0" said standards provided with a laterally extending adjustably swinging arm, said arm provided upon its inner end with mail bag receiving or delivering jaws, said jaws comprising a diamond shaped finger member, spring arms positioned on each side of said finger member and carried thereby, said spring arms provided with a bowed pocket portion, the end ot said pocket portion extending outwardly for ii'orming a guiding means whereby a link carried by the mail sack will be guided into said pocket portion and held therein by means of said diamond shaped finger and said spring arms, a secondary crane adapted to be carried by the car and pivotally cured thereto, said lastmentioned crane being provided with mail bag receiving and delivering jaws upon its outer end which are adapted to co-act with the mail bag receiving and delivering jaws carried by said swinging arm.

4. in a mail bag receiving and delivering device, the combination with a j'ilurality of standards, each of said staiulards provided with a laterally swinging arm, means for adjusting the height of said arm, said arm provided upon its inner end with mail bag receiving or delivering jaws, secondary crane members adapted to be carried by the air and pivotally secured thereto, said crane provided with a base portion, an upright carried by said base portion, said upright carrying a laterally extending arm upon its upper end, said arm extending beyond the side of the car and provided upon its outer end with mail bag receiving and delivering jaws which are adapted to eo-act with the mail bag receiving and delivering jaws carried by said laterally swinging arm.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN CONAlVAY. li itnesses:

\V. R. Sworn, (li-ias. IE. KELLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

I Washington, D. C. 

